Biographies

Mr. Dean Hollis serves as Independent Chairman of the Board of the Company. He was appointed to the Board on October 7, 2016 and as Board Chair effective November 9, 2016. Mr. Hollis is currently a member of the Corporate Governance Committee, Compensation Committee and Operations Transformation Committee. Mr. Hollis presently serves as a senior advisor for Oaktree Capital and Chairman of the Board at AdvancePierre Foods Holdings, Inc., a national producer and distributor of hand held convenience items and value added protein products. Prior to retiring in 2008, Mr. Hollis served as the President and Chief Operating Officer of the Consumer Foods Division of ConAgra Foods from December 2004 to July 2008. In that role, Mr. Hollis developed and executed a worldwide business transformation strategy, while overseeing the largest part of the ConAgra Foods portfolio. During Mr. Hollis' 21 years with ConAgra Foods, he held many executive level positions, including Executive Vice President, Retail Products; President, Grocery Foods; President, Frozen Foods; President, Specialty Foods; and President, Gilardi Foods. Mr. Hollis holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Stetson University, and serves on its board of directors. Mr. Hollis is currently Chairman of the Board of AdvancePierre Foods, Inc. He is also a member of its Compensation Committee. From 2009 to October 2015, Mr. Hollis served as a director of Landec Corporation, a developer and marketer of patented polymer products for food, agriculture and licensed partner applications, where he also served as Chairman of the Compensation Committee. From July 2011 until the completion of its sale in January 2016, Mr. Hollis served as a director of Boulder Brands, Inc., a leader and innovator in health and wellness foods, where he also served as Chairman of the Board and a member of the Audit Committee. From May 2012 until the completion of its sale in February 2016,

Mr. David J. Colo serves as President, Chief Executive Officer, Non-Independent Director of the Company. He was appointed as the Company’s President and Chief Executive Officer and as a director of the Company on February 6, 2017. Mr. Colo joined the Company from Diamond Foods, Inc. where he served as Executive Vice-President, Chief Operating Officer. Mr. Colo has 30 years of leadership experience in general management, operations and supply chain management. As Executive Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer for Diamond Foods, Mr. Colo had direct responsibility for marketing, innovation, R&D, operations, supply chain, procurement, quality, food safety, grower services and contract manufacturing. Together with the Diamond Foods executive team, he was responsible for leading the turnaround of the highly distressed company and its successful sale for approximately $1.9 billion to Snyder's-Lance in March 2016. Before joining Diamond Foods, Mr. Colo spent approximately three years as an independent industry consultant, focusing on organizational optimization and planning. From 2005 to 2009, he held leadership positions in the consumer products division of ConAgra Foods, including roles as Senior Vice President of Sales and Operations Planning, Senior Vice President of Enterprise Manufacturing and Senior Vice President of Operations. From 2003 to 2005, he served as President of ConAgra Food Ingredients. Mr. Colo is a member of the board of MGP Ingredients, Inc., a leading U.S. supplier of premium bourbons, whiskeys, distilled gins and vodkas, where he serves as Chair of the HR and Compensation Committee and is a member of the Audit Committee and Governance Committee. Mr. Colo holds a Bachelor of Science, Agribusiness Economics, from Southern Illinois University.

Mr. Robert McKeracher serves as Chief Financial Officer, Vice President of SunOpta Inc. He is overseeing all financial reporting, compliance and corporate treasury activities. He previously served as Vice President of Financial Reporting for SunOpta from June 2008 until October 2011, and as Director of Financial Reporting from August 2007 to June 2008. Prior to joining the Company, Mr. McKeracher was the Manager of Business Planning and Treasury at Magna Entertainment Corp. from May 2003 to August 2007, after spending four years in public accounting in the assurance and business advisory practice at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. Mr. McKeracher is a Chartered Professional Accountant, Chartered Accountant, and holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of Toronto.

Mr. John M. Ruelle serves as Senior Vice President - Corporate Development and Raw Material Sourcing and Supply, Chief Administrative Officer of Sunopta Inc. Mr. Ruelle, after serving as Chief Administrative Officer and Senior Vice President of Corporate Development and Secretary from January 2013. From October 2011 to January 2013, Mr. Ruelle served as Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer. Mr. Ruelle joined SunOpta in November 2007 as Vice President of Finance and Administration and Chief Financial Officer of the SunOpta Grains and Foods Group, the largest operating division of SunOpta at the time. Mr. Ruelle brought over 15 years of progressive food industry senior leadership experience to SunOpta with a focus on building foundational structures to achieve aggressive revenue and profitably growth through driving talent management, business processes and strategy linkage. Prior to joining SunOpta, Mr. Ruelle was Vice President of Finance and Administration, Chief Financial Officer, Treasurer and Corporate Secretary for Restaurant Technologies, Inc. where he was co-founder and managed over 30 Greenfield start-ups. Earlier in his career he held various financial and operational roles with LaserMaster Technologies and was a Certified Public Accountant with Larson Allen, LLP. Mr. Ruelle has a Bachelor of Science degree from St. John’s University.

Mr. James Gratzek serves as Senior Vice President - Research and Development and Quality of the Company. Mr. Gratzek started with the Company in June 2014 as Senior Vice President of Research and Development and was appointed Senior Vice President of Quality in June 2016. Mr. Gratzek brings more than 20 years of food product and process innovation leadership to the Company team. He spent more than 10 years at General Mills, where he focused on new product development, cost and process improvement, and technology development, completing his tenure as a Director of R&D. Prior to General Mills, he worked at Tetra Pak as Aseptic Technology Director and various program leadership roles at Campbell’s.

Mr. Gerard Versteegh serves as Senior Vice President - Global Ingredients of the Company. He was President - International Sourcing and Supply of Sunopta Inc. Mr. Versteegh joined The Company in April 2008 as President and co-founder of Tradin Organic Agriculture. Mr. Versteegh has over 30 years of expertise in the global sourcing, processing and distribution of organic raw materials in a broad range of categories.

Mr. Rob Duchscher serves as Chief Information Officer of the Company. Starting with the Company in March 2017, Mr. Duchscher brings over 30 years of experience in the areas of software engineering and information technology. Of those 30 years, 17 years were spent in industrial process control and transportation logistics. Mr. Duchscher served as Chief Information Officer at Starkey Hearing Technologies from January 2010 through February 2017, where he led the transformation of both the information technology and software engineering departments. Mr. Duchscher initially started at Starkey Hearing Technologies in April 2002 as Vice-President of Software Engineering and R&D PMO.

Ms. Jill Elaine Barnett serves as Vice President, General Counsel, Corporate Secretary of the Company. She is responsible for the legal affairs of the Company. Prior to joining the Company in July 2014, Ms. Barnett spent twelve years as in-house counsel for Best Buy Co., Inc. holding various positions and providing legal support to numerous areas of the business, including Best Buy’s global sourcing and exclusive brands business.

Ms. Lillian Barlett serves as Vice President - Risk Management and Internal Audit of the Company. Ms. Barlett joined the Company in July 2009 as Director of Risk Management and Internal Audit and was promoted to Senior Director of Risk Management and Internal Audit in late-2011. In April 2013, Mrs. Barlett was appointed Vice President of Risk Management and Internal Audit.

Mr. Colin Smith serves as Chief Operating Officer, Consumer Products Segment of the Company. He was appointed to in February 2017. Mr. Smith is a Managing Director and member of the Portfolio Transformation Team with Oaktree, who entered into a strategic partnership with SunOpta in October 2016. Mr. Smith joined Oaktree from AlixPartners in 2014, where he served as a director leading value creation projects across a variety of industries for its global clients. Prior to his eight years at AlixPartners, Mr. Smith worked as a consultant for Deloitte in their Strategy and Operations practice, and for A.T. Kearney Ltd. as a senior business analyst.

Ms. Margaret Shan Atkins CPA, CA, serves as Independent Director of Sunopta Inc., with effect from 28 October 2014. Ms. Atkins served as Chair of the Audit Committee from January 2015 through November 2016 and was appointed Chair of the Compensation Committee in November 2016. Ms. Atkins was appointed to the Corporate Governance Committee on February 27, 2017. She is also a member of the Operations Transformation Committee. Ms. Atkins has been an independent corporate director for more than a decade, serving on a number of public and private company boards in the United States and Canada. She spent most of her executive career in the retail/consumer sector, including various positions with Sears Roebuck & Co., a major North American retailer, from 1996 to 2001 where she was promoted to Executive Vice President in 1999. Prior to joining Sears, Ms. Atkins spent 14 years at Bain & Company, Inc., the international management consultancy, as a leader in Bain's consumer and retail practice. Ms. Atkins began her career as a public accountant at what is now PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, a major accounting firm, and has designations as a Chartered Professional Accountant, Chartered Accountant (Ontario) and Certified Public Accountant (Illinois). Ms. Atkins holds an Honours Bachelor of Commerce degree from Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario, as well as a Masters of Business Administration from Harvard University. She is recognized as a Board Governance Fellow by the (U.S.) National Association of Corporate Directors, and is also a member of the Canadian Institute of Corporate Directors. Ms. Atkins currently serves on the boards of Spartan Nash Company, a national grocery wholesaler and retailer in the US; Darden Restaurants, Inc., an owner and operator of more than 1,500 restaurants in North America including Olive Garden, Longhorn Steakhouse and The Capital Grille; and LSC Communications, a leading printer of books, catalogs, magazines and a manufacturer of office supplies.

Dr. Albert D. Bolles, Ph.D., serves as Independent Director of the Company. Dr. Bolles most recently served as Executive Vice President, Chief Technology & Operations Officer of ConAgra Foods, a leading consumer products food company with net sales exceeding $16 billion. Prior to this role, Dr. Bolles was Executive Vice President, Research, Quality and Innovation for ConAgra, championing the development and execution of multiple new and improved products, realizing incremental growth for ConAgra Foods and a multi-year pipeline to sustain and advance growth further. Prior to joining ConAgra in 2006, Dr. Bolles served as Vice President, Worldwide Research & Development (R&D) for PepsiCo Beverages and Foods, responsible for global R&D leadership for beverages (Pepsi, Gatorade, and Tropicana) and Quaker Foods including product, process, package and sensory R&D, Nutrition, Quality, and Scientific & Regulatory Affairs. His prior appointment was with Gerber Foods for over eight years up to R&D Director, overseeing infant and toddler global research and development. Dr. Bolles holds six patents and has won numerous awards for his contribution to the world of food science. Dr. Bolles currently serves as a director of Landec Corporation, where he is a member of the Compensation Committee, the Food Innovation Committee and the Nominating and Corporate Governance Committee. He is a graduate of Michigan State University with a B.S. in Microbiology and an M.S. and Ph.D. in Food Science. His experience in the areas of research and development, innovation and quality along with breadth of knowledge in the food industry is a great addition to the Board of Directors. Dr. Bolles also has experience partnering with the FDA and USDA on influencing and crafting public policy that benefits consumers and the passage of the Food Safety Modernization Act in 2010.

Mr. Michael E. Detlefsen serves as Independent Director of Sunopta Inc. He was appointed as a director of the Company in May 2013 and since that time has also served as a member of the Audit Committee. On November 8, 2016, Mr. Detlefsen was appointed Chair of the Audit Committee and a member of the Compensation Committee. Mr. Detlefsen is also a member of the Operations Transformation Committee. Mr. Detlefsen is currently Managing Director of Pomegranate Capital Advisors Inc. and President and CEO of Tangerine Holdings Inc. He is also Executive Chairman of Elevation Brands, LLC, a gluten free food processor. From 2011-2016, Mr. Detlefsen was CoManaging Director of Muir Detlefsen & Associates Limited. He was Chief Restructuring Officer of Organic Meadow Inc. from 2014 to 2015. From 2013 to 2014 he was Interim CEO of Ceres Global Ag Corp. and from 2008 to 2013, he was President of Ceres. Mr. Detlefsen was also previously with Maple Leaf Foods Inc. where he held the position of Vice President, Corporate Development from 1999 to 2000, Executive Vice President Vertical Coordination from 2000 to 2004 and President of Maple Leaf Global Foods, the global sales, marketing and trading subsidiary of Maple Leaf Foods Inc. from 2005 to 2007. Prior to joining Maple Leaf Foods, Mr. Detlefsen was with BCE Inc. in Montreal where he was Vice President, Corporate Development at Bell Canada International, from 1997 to 1999, responsible for telecom investments in Korea, Brazil, Mexico and the United Kingdom. Mr. Detlefsen is currently a director of Phoenix Canada Oil Company Limited, a director of the State Street Bank and Trust (Canada), a Governor of the Royal Ontario Museum, a member of Harvard University’s Private and Public, Scientific, Academic and Consumer Food Policy Committee and a member of the Finance Committee and 150th Anniversary Campaign Cabinet of Trinity College School.

Ms. Katrina L. Houde serves as Independent Director of the Company. She was appointed to the Board of Directors in December 2000 and served as Chair of the Compensation Committee from August 2014 to November 2016 and as a member of the Audit Committee until November 8, 2016. Ms. Houde was appointed Interim Chief Executive Officer for the Company effective November 11, 2016 and served in that capacity through February 6, 2017. In February 2017, Ms. Houde was appointed Chair of the Corporate Governance Committee and a member of the Audit Committee. Ms. Houde is also a member of the Operations Transformation Committee. Ms. Houde has been an independent consultant since March 2000. From January 1999 to March 2000, Ms. Houde was President of Cuddy Food Products, a division of Cuddy International Corp. and was Chief Operating Officer of Cuddy International Corp. from January 1996 to January 1999. She is a Director of a number of private and charitable organizations.

Mr. Brendan B. Springstubb serves as Independent Director of the Company. He was appointed to the Board on October 7, 2016 and is currently a member of the Audit Committee, Compensation Committee and the Operations Transformation Committee. Mr. Springstubb is a Principal at Engaged Capital, a California-based investment firm and registered advisor with the SEC focused on investing in small and mid-cap North American equities, which he joined in June 2013. In this role, Mr. Springstubb has been responsible for sourcing and managing a variety of Engaged Capital’s investments in the consumer, healthcare and technology sectors. Prior to joining Engaged Capital, Mr. Springstubb held multiple roles with Relational Investors, LLC (“Relational”) a $6 billion activist equity fund, from June 2005 to April 2013. At Relational, Mr. Springstubb was most recently the senior analyst covering the healthcare sector where he was responsible for identifying and overseeing activist investment opportunities and communicating with portfolio company management teams. Prior to leading the healthcare group, Mr. Springstubb was a generalist covering investments in the telecom, financial and technology sectors. Mr. Springstubb earned a Master’s degree in Biotechnology with a dual concentration in Biotechnology Enterprise and Regulatory Affairs from Johns Hopkins University and a Bachelor’s degree in Economics and Molecular Biology from Pomona College. Mr. Springstubb is also a CFA Charter holder and a Certified Financial Risk Manager.

Mr. Gregg A. Tanner serves as Independent Director of the Company. Mr. Tanner was appointed to the Board and as a member of the Operations Transformation Committee on January 19, 2017. On February 27, 2017, Mr. Tanner was appointed Chair of the Operations Transformation Committee and a member of the Audit Committee and Corporate Governance Committee. Mr. Tanner served as Chief Executive Officer and Director for Dean Foods Company from October 2012 to December 2016. As the Dean Foods’ Chief Executive Officer, and with his experience in supply chain management, Mr. Tanner provided the board of Dean Foods with invaluable insight regarding its operations and businesses. Prior to serving as CEO, Mr. Tanner served as Dean Foods’ Chief Supply Chain Officer and President of its Fresh Dairy Direct division, where he was responsible for all sales, marketing, manufacturing and distribution functions for Dean Foods' largest business unit and for supply chain operations for Dean Foods as a whole. Mr. Tanner joined Dean Foods in 2007. Prior to joining Dean Foods, Mr. Tanner was Senior Vice President, Global Operations with The Hershey Company. Before joining Hershey, Mr. Tanner was Senior Vice President, Retail Supply Chain at ConAgra Foods, Inc. where he directed the entire supply chain for retail products. Earlier in his career, Mr. Tanner held positions at Quaker Oats Company and Ralston Purina Company. He is a graduate of Kansas State University. Since 2007, Mr. Tanner has served on the Board of Directors of The Boston Beer Company, Inc., where he is the Chair of the Audit Committee. He serves as Chair of the Milk Industry Foundation, as Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of the International Dairy Foods Association and as a member of the Board of Directors of the Grocery Manufacturers Association.

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